News@noon: Bad budget for us; officers shot
Today is Thursday, March 16, 2017, and President Donald Trump unveiled a $1.15 trillion budget today - a far-reaching overhaul of federal government spending that slashes many domestic programs to finance a significant increase in the military and make a down payment on a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Military spending would get the biggest boost in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. Environmental programs, medical research, Amtrak and an array of international and cultural programs — from Africa to Appalachia — would take big hits, among the many parts of the government he’d put on a crash diet.
At home, that means less spending on protecting the Great Lakes.
Trump’s budget plan would slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by nearly a third, including reductions for the agency’s enforcement and compliance office and ending the $300 million-a-year Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, among other regional efforts.
Here's what else is going on that we're following today:
In Trump's world
- There are lots of moving parts going on right now with the Trump administration. For example, the House Republican health care plan backed by President Donald Trump provides billions of dollars in tax cuts for wealthy families and insurance companies, but it hits older Americans hard with higher insurance premiums and smaller tax credits. It's proving to be an even tougher sell than before.
- Despite that, the House Budget Committee has voted to advance the troubled bill. Three conservative GOP lawmakers voted against the measure. That’s one vote shy of what would have been needed to deal a damaging and embarrassing — but not fatal — setback to the party’s showpiece legislation.
- Also, Trump’s revised travel ban was dealt another legal setback today when a federal judge in Maryland rejected the prohibition against six predominantly Muslim countries. A federal judge in Hawaii also rejected the measure on Wednesday. Both judges cited Trump’s own words as evidence of his intent in issuing the new plan.
- And yesterday, in a visit to Ypsilanti, Trump pushed domestic and foreign auto executives for more U.S. jobs and new manufacturing plants here Wednesday, even as auto sales appear to be receding from record levels in 2016. Of course, he was met with groups of supporters and protesters.
- In case you missed it, Trump took a moment to take a jab at Gov. Rick Snyder yesterday, too.
Two officers shot
A suspect is in custody in the shooting of two Detroit police officers who were injured Wednesday night on Detroit’s west side. Raymond Durham, 60, was captured by law enforcement officers in connection with the shooting, according to Detroit Police Chief James Craig. We're learning more and we'll keep you updated.
You're in trouble now
Each year, thousands of Wayne County residents ignore summons for possible jury duty, tossing the court-ordered requests like so much junk mail. Fed up with having so many citizens blow off their civic duty, court officials plan to have some of those scofflaws explain to a judge why they didn’t respond.
VW in waiting
- Federal Judge Sean Cox today granted a motion that will delay former Volkswagen AG executive Oliver Schmidt’s trial until January 16, 2018. It had been slated to begin in April.
- Schmidt, 48, a German national and VW’s former top emissions compliance manager for the United States, has been jailed since January. He was arrested in Florida and has been in federal custody awaiting trial in one of the largest alleged corporate criminal schemes in U.S. history.
Outages continue
- For some who lost power last week Wednesday, the outages continue.
Ben Carson in Detroit
- Donald Trump wasn't the only one who made his way to Michigan yesterday. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson spoke before an audience of parents and students at Benjamin Carson High School in Detroit, as part of the launch of a national listening tour. The HUD secretary is in his hometown for a three-day visit in which he’s expected to hear from those who support or rely on public housing.
Molly's review
With all the emphasis on new restaurants opening around town at a record pace, it’s easy to overlook the standbys, places that have been paying their dues for years. A case in point: The Hill, serving its solid American menu since August 2000, and still going strong in its handsome quarters in Grosse Pointe Farms.
Time to kick the habit?
- It might be time to put the smartphone down. A new study shows they have a tendency to ruin relationships.
Detroit News at noon is a daily roundup of the most talked-about stories on detroitnews.com. For more anytime, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram (@detroitnews), Snapchat (Search for "Detroitnews") and LinkedIn.